Wreaths are commonly used for decorative purposes. Typically, a wreath is used for only one occasion such as Christmas, for example. The wreath may be used annually, or it may be used once and then discarded, for example, with a live evergreen wreath. One reason the wreath may have limited use is that typically, decorative elements and accessories are attached permanently or semi-permanently, e.g., decorative elements attached to wires that wrap around the wreath, or accessories that are glued in place. It is difficult and time consuming to change these accessories. In addition, the wreath may deteriorate aesthetically each time the accessories are changed. To date, wreaths have not been designed to withstand frequent accessory removal and replacement.
It is known in the art to make wreaths having removable decorations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,442 to A. J. Matesi discloses a wreath formed with apertures in the base unit as a means for decorations to be pushed through with a plastic binding having a knobby end. The knobby ends tend to bend or break when used repeatedly and complicate the attachment process. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,316 to Lackey, a decorative wreath including a base covered with greenery and a plurality of decorative objects (e.g. pine cones and fruit) coupled to the base is disclosed. The decorative objects are coupled to the base using an elastic band spirally wrapped around the entire circumference of the base, making removal and replacement difficult. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,635 to Creegan, a reusable wreath having a wreath base and a fastener strip wound around a cross-section of the base is disclosed. Various decorative elements and accessories are coupled to the fastener strip to change the appearance of the wreath. The decorative elements can be secured to the fastener strip in any position relative to the base, but users must use their own artistic abilities to arrange the wreath. The entire disclosures of each of the abovementioned patents are hereby incorporated by reference.
The wreaths disclosed in the prior art require a user to decorate and redecorate the wreath without any guidance. Accordingly, when decorating the wreath, the user must rely on a personal artistic ability. In order to decorate a conventional wreath for a particular occasion, the user is required to select and coordinate the appropriate decorative elements. Furthermore, the user must use their personal artistic ability to arrange and attach the decorations on the wreath to produce an aesthetically pleasing decorative wreath.
It would be desirable to develop a convertible wreath having at least one permanent decoration and at least one removable decoration releasably coupled to a limited, pre-defined area of the wreath, and a method of producing the wreath, wherein the convertible wreath and the method maximize an aesthetic and artistic appeal independent of an artistic ability of a user.